Coastal Bend Region:
Key to Ratings: 1-5 stars with 5 being "must see."
The + indicates a personal favorite. Continue to the Southwest where near
Freeport are three
national wildlife refuges. Just to the north,
Brazos Bend State Park is located off the coast in a lush environment.
Also see Brazoria County Museum.
Further to the south and west, you will find the
Matagorda Area. Matagorda
features access to miles of beach and basic services including an
excellent restaurant, the Sea Breeze, and great souvenir shop with low prices.
To the west, the charming fishing town of
Palacios
is on Hwy. 35.
Palacios has lodging,
private campgrounds, fishing services, seawall walk, and public piers
(see photo) with lights.
If you want a quiet hideaway, this is the place for you. (See our
Trip Report.)
Palacios is known as the "shrimp capital of the world" and is part of the
Texas Birding Trail.
From Palacios, you might want to explore
Port Lavaca where you will also find a
state fishing pier. You
might want to explore Calhoun County.
At Port O'Connor, you can catch the ferry to
the remote and undeveloped
Matagorda Island State Park. Take a side trip south on
Hwy. 185 to a tranquil area of the coast,
Seadrift before heading to
Aransas Pass National Wildlife Refuge(+*****/no camping) deserves your attention. Home of
the whooping crane in winter, this park features trails and lots of
wildlife.
The drive through
the park takes at least an hour ($5 per car) if you roar through without stopping. Also check out the Colorado River Trail with its trailhead near Matagorda or
Continue to the
Fulton Beach/Rockport area where you will find
Goose Island State Park (+****1/2 - but this is a place mostly for
fishing; great pier; oyster shell beach, not good for swimmers) and another state fishing pier that
spans most of
Copano Bay. Also in Fulton Beach, check out
Fulton Beach Mansion, a state historical site (****). You will also want to take
time to eat. Several restaurants are located on the beach road including
the most well-known, Charlotte Plummers, that we find somewhat overrated.
We like Sandollars and a Vietnamese restaurant, Hu Dat's. While they offer other fare, their
Vietnamese meals are inexpensive and delicious! Or, buy your own
fresh seafood at one of the shops on the bay. Small motels and RV parts appear
regularly only the beach road from Fulton Beach on to Rockport. (See our
Trip Report.) Even further down the road, take the free ferry at
Aransas Pass to Port Aransas
and
Mustang Island (***1/2).
Port Aransas is a wonderful little town with
shops and restaurants to suit every taste. At the same time, it's not so big as to
be overwhelming. We loved our visit. You can also go to
Padre Island National Seashore from here, but the debris was very bad during our last journey.
See our Trip Report from May, 1999.
See also:
Southern or Lower Coast (Mexico Border Region)
Key to Ratings: 1-5 stars with 5 being "must see."
The + indicates a personal favorite.
The
Corpus Christi and
Brownsville Region is further to the south and west.
Lake Corpus Christi State Park (***) is worth seeing just for the flocks
of white tailed dove. And, almost everyone goes to
Padre Island National Seashore (****/north end)
or
South Padre Island at least once in a lifetime. But, beware that
Padre is one of the "hot" spring break spots, and you may want to avoid it in March.
Brownsville is on the border across from Matamoras for your shopping
pleasure.
Also see:
